May 20, 2013

Cafe Crawl: Detour Cafe

Detour Coffee started off as a Coffee Company that eventually expanded into Detour Cafe. There main mission was to "Roast the best coffee we can", and they continue to do so offsite and distribute it all across Canada. This ain't no Timmies though. They roast in small batches fresh every week! Although it is a bit of a drive coming from Stoney Creek, I assure you, it's worth the gas.

I'm going to be honest with you - I'm not a big coffee drinker and I only picked up the habit because I love coffee shops. There is something romantic and warm about a coffee shop. I frequent them more often for the atmosphere and sweet treats as opposed to being there for the coffee. So I'm not claiming to be a coffee connoisseur - please don't judge, I just love the idea of a warm and cozy seat I can get lost in for an hour or two.

To start, I ordered a cup of coffee ($1.90) and Chandary ordered the Rooibos Vanilla Latte ($3.48). We shared one sweet & one savoury Scone ($2.75 each). Instantly you can tell these were made in house - they were very rustic looking - which I liked! They were both moist and flakey and pulled apart without any effort. I would have loved a few lashings of whipped butter or jam on them but none was offered and I didn't want to bother flagging down our server.

When our mains were dropped we were both very impressed and spent a few good minutes taking some sexy food pics! I have to admire Detour for their choice in small wares. From the creamer pots to the plates, everything fit in beautifully and just added to the vibe of the whole cafe. Very casual and organic but still very modern without being stuffy.

Even before we arrived, Chandary decided on the smoked salmon Eggs Benedict ($14) - chive biscuit, poached egg, smoked salmon, hollandaise and roasted tomatoes. The portion was a lot smaller than I'd anticipated but the quality made up for it. The hollandaise sauce was the perfect consistency, the biscuit was flakey and buttery and the Ocean Wise salmon was delicious! You can't go wrong with a smoked salmon benny in my books.

This sandwich was huge and absolutely worth every penny! The smoked meat and chive biscuit was a beautiful combination. This has to be one of the best breakfast sandwiches I've ever had. The peppery arugula added a bit of spice into every bite and help cut the salty savouryness of scone. The egg - which I would have preferred cooked over medium was the only downside. It was cooked all the way through, and I tend to like my yolk a little gooey. Next time I'll make sure to ask for it this way. That's just a personal preference though.

The hash was very homey and simple in execution but the opposite in flavour. It also tasted like it was good for you. Which can sometimes be a bad thing, but not in this case. I loved the chunks of roasted sweet potato and I caught myself rummaging for every morsel of that smoked meat!

All in all, it was a beautiful morning spent in Dundas and despite the drive, I will definitely be returning. Another thing I wanted to mention, during our meal, I asked for some ketchup for my sandwich, and our server told us they didn't have any ... I was shocked! Eggs with no ketchup? Turns out they make their own and she offered that to me. I was pleasantly surprised! I'm very brand loyal to Heinz ketchup but I still enjoyed Detour's version which was less like a ketchup and more of a sauce - still yummy nonetheless!